Pattern control for buckshot charges



April 16, 1963 J. K. CAMPBELL PATTERN CONTROL FOR BUCKSHOT CHARGES Filed Aug 11, 1960 ATTORNEYS United. States Patent Ofiice 3,085,510 Patented Apr. 16, 1963 3,085,510 PATTERN CONTROL FOR BUCKSl-IOT CHARGES John K. Campbell, 627 W. Stone, Independence, Mo. Filed Aug. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 49,057 1 Claim. (Cl. 102-42) This invention relates to a shot cartridge, and more particularly to the pattern control for buckshot charges from such cartridges.

Various attempts have been made to control the straying of buckshot in cartridges or shot gun shells to prevent accidents and to increase the effectiveness of the buckshot. There is a trend toward use of buckshot for big game hunting instead of bullet guns formerly in use. large bullet guns are very dangerous and. many people are killed each year big game hunting. With the use of buckshot in shot guns the likelihood of accident is materially reduced.

Many attempts have been made to control the buckshot in a shot gun shell after it leaves the barrel of a gun. No one so far as applicant is aware has devised a device which would effectively control the pattern of the shot.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a cartridge for use of buckshot to control the pattern or direction of travel of the shot after it leaves the gun barrel.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a cartridge with a plurality of buckshot in a manner wherein the recoil or kick will be reduced; to provide a cartridge wherein control of the pattern of the buckshot will reduce the number of buckshot required and a higher velocity of the buckshot attained; to provide means connected to the buckshot for preventing straying thereof after the buckshot leaves the gun barrel; to provide means of enclosing the buckshot within the cartridge to hold the same in a particular manner so that when they leave the gun barrel there will not be the tendency to stray as where they are uncontrolled; to provide a covering for the buckshot wherein the bucksh-ot will be prevented from engaging the inside wall of the gun barrel; to provide tying means for holding the buckshot together and placing the tying means between the shot and the wadding of the cartridge; to provide means for holding the shot in position so they will not become entangled with the tying means; and to provide a device of this character simple and economical to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross sectional view particularly illustrating my shot cartridge for pattern control.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on a line 2 2, FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the buckshot enclosed within a foil wrapping and the tying means extending outwardly ready to be placed in position in the cartridge.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the shot and the tying means in a pattern after it leaves the gun barrel.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the buckshot showing the tying means attached thereto.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

1 designates a cartridge embodying the features of my invention comprising the usual metal base 2, primer 3 and paper or cardboard casing 4 as is the usual practice. The casing extends within the base 2 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The base contains a charge of powder 5 above which is placed wadding 6.

A plurality of buckshot 7 are provided for the load here illustrated to be six in number and of a size known as 00(.33) size ordinarily used for big game such as deer, bear and the like. With this size shot and six in number, I have found that three and three-fourths drams of powder is satisfactory for my purpose.

The buckshot 7 are provided with sockets 8 (FIG. 5) and two of such shots are connected by a tying member 9. When the ends 10 of the tying member are inserted in the sockets 8 of the buckshot, the sockets are then closed by swaging or a suitable tool (not shown) as illustrated at 11 (FIG. 5) to retain the ends of the tie member in said buckshot as illustrated at 12. In FIG. 4 I have illustrated the six buckshot in a pattern. The shots 13 and 14 are connected by a tie member 15 and shots 16 and 17 by a tie member 18. The tie member may be of cord or wire but I have found a monofilament line satisfactory for my purpose. The line is similar to that used as leader lines in spin cast fishing. The lines 9, 15 and 18 are secured together at substantially their centers by fastening member 19' which may be of plastic or other similar material which is crimped around the line. The fastening must be of a material so as not to injure the gun barrel as it leaves the same.

In FIG. 3 I have illustrated the tie members 9, 15 and 18 as being tied together at substantially the centers in a knot 20. Any method or means of securing the lines together is suitable for my purpose. The buckshot are then placed within a covering material 21, such as foil or the like, and three shot are placed in the foil as illustrated in FIG. 2 and then three more shot placed on the first three shot and the open edges 22 crimped and closed closely around the lines 9, 15 and 18 (FIG. 3) whereby the material 21 forms a bag containing the buckshot and portions of the lines adjacent the buckshot, the remainder of the tie lines extending outwardly of the wrapper, FIG. 3.

The tie members or lines are wadded together close to the crimped portion as indicated at 23 (FIG. 1) and the assembly is then placed in the open end 24 of the casing 4 of the cartridge with the crimped portion facing in the direction of the powder 5.

With the lesser than ordinary number of buckshot in the cartridge there is required a larger filler wad between the wadding 6 and the buckshot and I place a filler wadding above the wadding 6 as indicated at 25 and 26, FIG. 1. The open end of the cartridge is closed in the same manner as is the usual practice. I have here illustrated a star closure as indicated at 25 which is accomplished by merely creasing the elongated end 27 of the casing 4 and crimping the same over the buckshot 7. Any form of closure may be utilized without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The foil 21 will hold the shot in position and prevent the tie members 9, 15 and 18 from becoming entangled therewith. The foil also holds the shot in position until it leaves the barrel. The explosion of the powder in the cartridge will cause the foil, as it leaves the barrel, to be entirely removed from the shot. As the shot passes out of the gun barrel, it will again spread apart and the lines 9, 15 and 18 will prevent the spreading farther than the lengths of the lines. I have found that by use of a sixinch light weight line or tic member the pattern will hold at six inches and will kill deer at one hundred yards and over.

'It is well known that ordinary buckshot will scatter badly and thus require heavy large loads and the result is heavy recoil. With my pattern control, the number of pellets may be reduced because they will be delivered on target by holding the pattern and thus allow a higher velocity and lower recoil and less barrel pressure.

It will be obvious that with the control of the pattern of the buckshot, safer-hunting will be accomplished and also by holding the pattern of the buckshot, there Will be more game killed and less wounding and suffering of animals which die from poorly placed shots due to excess scattering.

It is to be understood that While I have illustrated and described one form of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claim.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A shotgun cartridge comprising: a cylindrical casing, a base having a primer closing one end of said casing, a charge of powder within said casing and adjacent said ..bas,e,rwadding.in saidcartridge and covering said powder,

a plurality of buckshot, tie lines having the ends thereof secured respectively to said buckshot, said tie lines being secured to each other for limiting the spread pattern of said buckshot, a wrapper having edges and forming a bag containing said buckshot and portions of said lines adjacent said buckshot, the remainder portions of said lines extending outwardly of said bag, said edges of said wrapper forming a crimped portion closely closed around said lines, said bag being contained in said casing above and adjacent said wadding with said crimped portion facing toward said powder and the remainder portions of said lines being wadded adjacent said crimped portion, whereby said bag is removed from said shot as it leaves the barrel upon firing said cartridge from a shotgun.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 347,988 Boyd Aug. 24, 1886 1,198,035 Huntington Sept.'12', "1916' r e 2,759,420 Schultz Aug. 21, 1956 OTHER REFERENCES Ser. No. 336,019, Garkovenko (A.P.C.), published 20 June 22, 1943. 

